It Chases You to Death.

Otago Witness, Issue 2355, 13 April 1899, Page 60

It Chases You to Death.

There is only one beast that will track you down to avenge the death of its mate, no matter how far you go, and that is a snake. Moreover, it is tho most terrible of all snakes, and the largest of the poisonouß variety. Its name is the hamadryad. A bite from this reptile will kill the strongest man in two minutes, and, of course, there is ao remedy. No one bitten by a hamadryad har> ever survived. It chiefly belongs to th« Far East.

There are gencralh two hamadryads if there is one, and if you kill one of them the other will be on your track before long in all probability. Short of taking, ship across the sea, there is no way of escaping unless you watch for the snake and shoot it. It will follow you for miles for the chance of a stealthy stroke, and you may climb trees or mountains or ford rivers, but there is no way of evading the hamadryad. It is sv sort of nightmare hunt to be chased by one, and when tha chaso begins either one or the other will have to die within a day or so. The mate of the slain snake never makes a mistake, but always kills the slayer of its companion, and him alone. The beast grows to a length of about 15ft sometimes, and is fairly common in Malay anc l New Guinea. Specimens have been brought to Europe, but it 13 no -optile to play with. One scratch from its fangs is certain and instant death.